Category Archives: Music Workshops

“Laurel Premo and Michael Beauchamp share a reverence for vivid, authentic American art forms. They are both rustic and elegant, and they lift us into their sound.”– Seth Bernard, Earthwork Music

Red Tail Ring will perform at Chestnut House Concerts on Friday, March 31, 2017. Potluck at 6 pm, Music at 7 pm. Saturday, April 1, 2017 Laurel will lead a clawhammer banjo workshop from 12:30 – 2:30 pm.

Contact Tim Lehman if you’re interested in either or both events at tlehman9@gmail.com or call/text 717-940-9311.

In preparing for the April 19th house concert with Old Buck I did my typical research of the artists. As I read about Riley Baugus I was reminded of my 2007 listening addiction to the Raising Sand release by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Now I hear a random song from this album on the radio or from the iPod shuffle, but there’s something to be said for listening to an album in its entirety, with the songs in the order that the producer intended. So last week I listened to Raising Sand in a way that I had not listened for years, and was rewarded with Riley Baugus on banjo on the final track “Your Long Journey”. This rendition of a favorite Doc Watson/Rosa Lee Watson tune includes Norman Blake on acoustic guitar and Mike Seeger on autoharp.

Riley has two solo projects Life of Rileyand Long Steel Rail, and has collaborated on over 20 albums including That’s How We Run, with April Verch who performed at Chestnut House Concerts in January 2013. In 2003 Riley loaned not only his banjo playing and vocal talents to the Cold Mountainmovie soundtrack, but his handmade banjos built in the style of the Civil War era made it into the picture as well.

Riley will be joined on stage with Emily Schaad (fiddle), Sabra Guzmán (bass) and Debra Clifford (guitar) at 7:00 p.m. at Chestnut House Concerts. As tradition at our house concert series there will be a potluck at 6:00 p.m. before the show begins. Suggested donation at the door of $15/20 per person. You do need to RSVP to attend by calling/texting 717-940-9311 or by sending an email to Tim at tlehman9@gmail.com.

Find out more about the workshops that will be held from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm by reading my previous post Catch the Synergy. Attending the workshops does not automatically sign you up for the house concert.

This fiddle workshop will be focused around learning to play a southern old-time tune with style. We will talk about bowing techniques and patterns used to give rhythmic drive, syncopation, and flow as we encounter them in our tune, and choices that can be made while developing repertoire or while playing. A recording device is recommended.

In this workshop, we’ll cover lots of techniques to improve your playing and hopefully help you figure out what you’re hearing on recordings and from other players. We’ll learn a tune as context. The main style we’ll focus on is Round Peak Style from Surry County in North Carolina, but we’ll look at how this style differs from others.

Grabbing from early Country Music groups such as the Carter Family, E.C. & Orna Ball and the Delmore Brothers, we will work on how to best find the harmonies that fit for not only this genre of music but also for your voice and your singing partner. We will look at how harmony and melodies can best complement each other by listening to and learning songs that are in the American Folk Canon.

Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Each of these musicians is a powerhouse by her/himself and the workshops held on Saturday will culminate in an evening concert by Old Buck that you won’t want to miss.

All workshops are $20.00. To register for a workshop contact Old Buck at oldbuckmusic@gmail.com. Neal Pressley will be the host at It’s Modern Art and Neal can be reached at nealpressley@comcast.net.

The house concert is a recommended donation of $15/20. To RSVP for the house concert contact Tim at tlehman9@gmail.com for call/text 717-940-9311. Registering for the workshops does not automatically sign you up for the house concert, and house concert seating is limited. As usual there will be a potluck at 6:00 pm preceding the show.

603 West Chestnut, Lancaster, PA

House concerts are a friendly and informal way to experience live music. Arrive early and bring food and/or beverage to share. A suggested donation is $15 - $20; all money goes directly to the musicians. Go to the "Attending a Show" section to learn more.